•Protesters
Two years after the nationwide protests against hardship during which 12 demonstrators were killed and others injured in Kano State, victims’ families are still awaiting compensation from the government.
The protests, known by the hashtag #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria, were staged from August 1 to 10, 2024 over the cost of living crisis, reports Daily Trust.
The economic hardship was believed to be triggered by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s twin policies of petrol subsidy removal and currency floating.
The victims were alleged to have been shot dead by security agents deployed to quell the protests.
In Kano, grief has continued to reverberate across such communities as Daurawa Koki, Rijiyar Lemo and Ring Road where relatives insist that innocent lives were cut short during a protest that began peacefully but descended into violence.
Amnesty International had condemned the killings as deliberate and unlawful, saying peaceful protests over government policies had become “a matter of life and death in Nigeria.”
It had reported that at least 24 people were killed nationwide during the protests, with Kano recording the highest number of fatalities. It had listed other areas where protesters were killed as including Jigawa, Katsina, Borno, Niger and Kaduna States.
It had accused the authorities of attempting to suppress evidence and failing to hold security personnel accountable.
Following the incident, Kano State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf constituted the Justice Lawal Wada Committee to investigate the killings and destruction that occurred during the protest. Families submitted videos, testimonies and other evidence before the committee’
The committee had, among other things, recommended the prosecution of those responsible and compensation for victims.
However, two years later, the families say none of the recommendations has been implemented, leaving them frustrated and increasingly impatient.
Families make three demands
Sagiru Usman Yarima, who is leading the campaign for justice on behalf of the victims’ families, spoke to our correspondent yesterday and said the memories of the killings remain vivid.
“Ali, who was like a younger brother to me, was shot in our neighbourhood of Daurawa Koki. Muhammadu was shot in the leg and still carries the bullet. Firdausi was killed in Rijiyar Lemo while going to buy charcoal. Isma’il, just 13, was shot in the leg. These were innocent lives.
“I personally brought most of them forward. The committee accepted our reports, but two years later, nothing has been implemented,” Yarima said.
According to him, the families are demanding the prosecution of those identified by the committee, compensation for those killed, injured and those whose properties were destroyed as well as “recognition and dignity” for the victims.
He warned that the families were gradually losing patience despite exhausting every peaceful avenue to persuade the government to implement the committee’s recommendations.
I still have bullet in my body – Victim
Speaking to our correspondent yesterday, Muhammad Alhassan of Daurawa area of Kano recalled how he was shot while trying to escape after witnessing the killing of his friend.
“We were watching the protest from our street when the police fired shots. A bullet hit my friend, Ali, in the head. He died later in hospital. We ran and couldn’t pick him from the pool of his blood because we could be hit also.
“Unfortunately, I too was shot, and the bullet is still in my body. We went to hospital but the doctors said if it was removed immediately, it might touch my central nervous system. That is why I am still living with the bullet because it is not yet the right time to remove it, according to the doctors,” Alhassan said.
Fa’iza Haruna of Rijiyar Lemo said her sister, Firdausi, was killed while on her way to buy charcoal a week before her wedding.
“She was even due for marriage the following week. She only came out to buy charcoal, but was shot by the police and she died instantly.
“She left behind two children. We have video evidence of the killer admitting his action and begging for secrecy. We appeal to the governor to support the orphans. Even her seven‑year‑old son says he wants to become a policeman to avenge his mother’s death,” Fa’iza said.
Hajara Abdulqadir, whose then 12-year-old son was shot in the hip, said the family struggled to secure medical treatment.
He narrated: “He was playing football outside our home when he was shot. We rushed him to several hospitals, but they refused treatment until he was finally admitted at Sir Sanusi Hospital. Initially, we even thought he had died. We demand justice and compensation.”
Amnesty International condemns govt’s inaction two years after
Speaking to our correspondent on the second anniversary of the protest, Amnesty International Nigeria’s Director, Isa Sanusi, slammed the authorities for failing to ensure justice for victims and survivors.
“Two years after the police used lethal force and carried out mass arbitrary arrests of peaceful #EndBadGovernance protesters, the Nigerian authorities have failed to ensure justice for victims and survivors. The police bizarrely continue to deny strong allegations of extrajudicial execution, torture and unlawful arrests,” Sanusi said.
Several peaceful protesters were convicted in what Sanusi described as “sham trials based on bogus charges,” with trials still ongoing in Abuja, Kano, Jigawa, Katsina and Kaduna.
Sanusi said that despite the gravity of these violations, not a single member of the security forces had been prosecuted.
“Accountability remains elusive for the 24 peaceful protesters killed. Those behind these atrocities must be held to account,” he said.
He accused the authorities of pressing ahead with charges against the protesters despite “overwhelming evidence that they broke no law”.
“What happened in some parts of Nigeria from 1–10 August 2024 is a clear demonstration of the government’s utter disregard for human rights,” Sanusi alleged.
He warned that failing to hold police accountable would embolden security forces to continue using firearms unlawfully as a tactical tool for managing demonstrations.
“The violent crackdown on #EndBadGovernance protests by the government remains a human rights baggage that must not be swept under the carpet,” he said.
‘What we recommended to the government’
Justice Lawal Wada, who chaired the committee set up by the Kano State Government, said the report was submitted in January 2025.
He said the committee recommended assistance for families of those killed and injured, compensation for victims whose properties were looted or destroyed, reforms of family and marriage institutions, mandatory drug tests for intending couples, measures to curb political thuggery and the establishment of a Kano Elders Forum.
He said the committee also recommended “addressing Almajiranci and street begging.
Justice Wada also disclosed that the committee estimated the total financial losses from looting and vandalism during the protest at about N11.47 billion.
He listed affected institutions and businesses to include the Kano State High Court, Judicial Service Commission, Kano Printing Press, NCC, Barakat Mall, Rufaida Drinks, Garba A.D.’s House, Capital City University and the Kano State Sharia Commission.
Although the recommended compensation has yet to be paid, he said the government has commenced implementation of some of the committee’s recommendations.
Efforts by our correspondent to get comments from the Director-General, Media and Publicity, Kano Government House, Sanusi Bature Dawakin Tofa, who is also the governor’s spokesperson, were unsuccessful. Calls to his telephone line were not answered, while a text message sent to him had not been replied to as of the time of filing this report.
But a source in the Office of the Secretary to the state government, who requested anonymity because he was not authorised to speak on the issue, confirmed to our correspondent that the committee’s recommendations were presented to the State Executive Council and were awaiting implementation.
“After the Justice Wada committee presented its report here, a six-man white paper implementation committee was also established. Immediately this committee concluded its work also, everything was handed over to the governor’s office,” the source stated.
